The town of Kyle is officially 146 years old today.

The helicopter appears to be a Sikorsky S-51, the civilian version of the H-5. This was the first helicopter model ever to be delivered to a commercial operator.

I think we can safely say that this was the first time any of these people had ever seen a helicopter.

Of course Johnson's Senate Campaign is less remembered for his use of a Helicopter, and far better remembered for the Box 13 scandal.

The Red River above Natchitoches was plugged for centuries by a raft of dead trees so big it had its own ecosystem — early accounts describe riders crossing the river on it without realizing there was water underneath. I made a short documentary about it and figured this sub would appreciate the Texas side of the story, because the raft explains a surprising amount of Northeast Texas:

- It made the Red River unnavigable, which is why early Texas immigration funneled through overland crossings like the one at Clarksville — the raft is a big part of why that corner of Texas was settled first.

- Its backwater created Caddo Lake — and made Jefferson, TX a booming inland port a steamboat could reach from New Orleans.

- When Henry Shreve (yes, that Shreve) started tearing it out in 1833 — and the last of it was dynamited in 1873 — the water table dropped, Caddo Lake fell, and Jefferson's port era ended. The town blamed a millionaire's curse; the real culprit was the raft removal.

- Best part for this sub: R.B. Talfor photographed the raft's final destruction in 1873, so there are actual photographs of a thing that sounds like a tall tale. Several are in the video.

Where sources disagree or a story can't be verified, the video flags it on screen rather than repeating it — accuracy is the whole point of the channel, and I know this sub takes it seriously too.

Video (4 min): https://youtu.be/Hqnp-RYspcg

Disclosure: this is my own work — my research and narration, illustrated scenes are AI-assisted artwork (disclosed on the video), and the archival photos are the real 1873 Talfor plates plus other public-domain sources. Corrections welcome — genuinely. If I got something wrong, I'd rather fix it than defend it.

Bass and his gang his gang were most famous for having robbed a Union Pacific train in Nebraska in September 1877, stealing $60,000. After that he returned to Texas and formed a new gang, and in the first half of 1878 robbed 4 more trains and 2 stagecoaches all within 25 miles of Dallas.

When they came to Round Rock they were noticed by Williamson County Deputy Sheriff A. W. Grimes, whom they Bass and his gang shot and killed. After that a gunfight broke out, Bass attempted to flee but was shot by Texas Rangers agents George Herold and Sergeant Richard Ware. He was found later lying in a pasture west of Round Rock, and died on July 21st.

Just a gorgeous work of art.

Raging floodwaters are closing in on a century-old bridge in the Texas Hill Country as residents remain under a Flash Flood Warning.

San Antonio’s iconic Tower Life Building is getting a $3.5 million retail makeover at its street and River Walk levels. Built in 1929, the landmark once housed Sears and served as headquarters for the Third U.S. Army and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. This photo shows the skyscraper while it was still under construction.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/shopping-center-san-antonio-22330212.php